Against All Odds (Teefe)
by random.restless.writer
Summary: A fanfic including a lot of Tam and Keefe! If you don't support Teefe, don't read. They come to terms with their feelings for each other after years of forced hatred and eventually become something more.
1. Realizations

**I bring to you, *drumroll please* a new fanfic dedicated to Teefe! (Tam and Keefe) I was inspired by dear universe's More Than Meets The Eye.**

**I hope you like it!**

Tam and Keefe were always opposites. Tam was in the shadows, and Keefe was forcing himself into the spotlight. Or at least, they seemed to be opposites.

That was the reason for their competition. They fought for their place because they were alike. Both brooded in corners and scowled at each other.

The rest of the crew had left to explore one of the Forbidden Cities for a weekday adventure, leaving Tam and Keefe behind. Well, Keefe was. Tam wasn't up for the socializing.

After Keefe's recent escapade to the Forbidden Cities in an attempt to find Gisela, Sophie didn't trust him in the Forbidden Cities. Instead, Keefe was going to a Black Swan hideout to sulk and research his mother and her activities. When he arrived, he found Tam lurking in the shadows, apparently doing nothing.

"Umm, what are you doing here, Bangs Boy?" Keefe asked snarkily.

"What do you think?" Tam goaded.

"Brooding," Keefe teased.

"Correct," Tam answered.

For some unknown reason, Keefe stepped towards the mysterious boy in the shadows.

Keefe POV

_What is happening to me?_ Keefe thought. _Why am I feeling this? I am literally here with Bangs Boy, my arch-nemesis. This doesn't make any sense!_

Tam POV

_What is happening to me?_ Tam thought. _Why am I feeling this? I am literally here with Keefe, who is an EMPATH for God's sake. This doesn't make any sense!_

Third Person

Not listening to himself, Tam mirrored Keefe's earlier step towards him.

Both of the boys slowly walked toward each other, closing the gap between them. When an inch of space remained between them, Tam whispered "I...I...I don't know wha-"

Keefe cut him off, clutching Tam's shirt and pressing his lips onto Tam's.

Tam's eyes widened in shock but fluttered closed.

Their lips melded together, moving in unison against each other.

Tam wrapped his arms around Keefe's neck, and Keefe snaked his arms around Tam's waist.

Keefe backed them up to a table and sat Tam on top of it. He broke the kiss for a second to admire Tam, but Tam tangled his fingers in Keefe's perfectly tousled hair and brought him back to his lips. Their kiss eventually turned gentler, sweeter, rather than the previous fire of need and want. Tam tugged himself from Keefe and looks away.

"Did I...I'm...I'm sorry," Keefe whispered.

"No...no, don't be," Tam said. "I...I just..."


	2. Caught

p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""It's just...I like you!" Tam blurted, his face turning a hot pink./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Keefe chuckled and joined Tam on the table. He leaned in and murmured, "I think that's pretty obvious, but...I like you too,"/span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"When all of their friends returned from the Forbidden Cities, they decided to regroup at a Black Swan hideout to compare information. What they didn't expect was to see Keefe sitting against a bookshelf with Tam's head in his lap, both of them reading./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"When Tam noticed them, he startled from Keefe and backed into the shadows./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Keefe looked up to find Fitz raising an eyebrow, and Linh grinning giddily at her brother./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Sooo...explain," Fitz said, pointing at Keefe and then Tam./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Tam backed away even further, and Keefe looked like a deer in headlights. "Explain what?" Keefe asked./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""What were you two doing here?" Linh questioned./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""We...we were-" Keefe attempted./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Doing nothing," Tam interrupted, finishing Keefe's sentence./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""More like doing each other," Biana added, rolling her eyes./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Keefe and Tam turned bright red, and Tam's shadow slithered over to Keefe's./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"em style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Do you want to get out of here?/emspan style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Tam shadow-whispered./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Yeah," Keefe muttered. "Run for it?"/span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"em style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Seems like the best option/emspan style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true", Tam said./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Back door?" Keefe suggested./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Tam nodded, and said, /spanem style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"3...2...1...go!/em/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Both boys rushed towards the back door, and Tam surprised Keefe with his speed. Tam threw open the door and closed it after they had both gotten through./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""My place?" Keefe asked./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Sure," Tam responded./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Keefe took Tam's hand and held up his pathfinder. He gently squeezed Tam's hand reassuringly, and they stepped into the light./span/p 


	3. An Invitation

p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Keefe lay sprawled on his bed, staring at his ceiling. He was daydreaming about last week's afternoon 'studying' with Tam when he was hailed by Sophie./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""What's up?" He asked once he picked up./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Hi, uh, I was wondering if you'd want to come over to Biana and Fitz's place for a sleepover. We understand if you don't want to, considering the-"/span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Heck yeah! I wouldn't miss any Fitzphie starefests for the world," He snickered./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Get that dumb smirk off your face, Keefe, before I come over there and do it myself," Sophie retorted. Keefe knew her cheeks were flaming red even if he couldn't see her./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Sure, sure. I'll be there at six?" He asked. /span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Yeah, come whenever you're ready. Della offered to make us some dinner, so you'll want to be there,"/span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Sweet. If I may, do you know who else is coming?" /span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Basically everyone. But I think you'll be pleased to know that Linh convinced a certain someone to join us," Sophie teased him./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Who?" Keefe asked a little too quickly and eagerly./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Sophie giggled. "I don't know, who do you think it is?"/span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Uhh, Bangs Boy?"/span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Oh, you aren't allowed to call him that after your recent incident at the Black Swan hideout," Sophie called him out, laughing to herself./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""I'm not going to respond to that one. I'll see you guys soon, okay?" Keefe attempted./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""I'll see you at Fitz's. Don't get yourself too worked up, alright? I know it's been wayy too long since you last saw Tam, but save it for when you see him," Keefe could almost hear her smirk./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Keefe waited a few seconds, then hung up. /span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"He grinned to himself. /spanem style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Now, how do I prepare myself for this?/em/p 


	4. Greetings

p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Keefe had decided to arrive fashionably late, in hopes of catching the attention of a special Bangs Boy. He had also spent a good hour and a half in the bathroom perfecting his hair rather than his usual hour. /span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"After light-leaping outside the gates of Everglen, Keefe sauntered through the door with his signature grin on his face. All of his friends greeted him from their seats, and he moved to sit on an empty loveseat. He scanned the couches for any sign of Tam, and he even checked the living room's shadowy corners, but he couldn't find him. /span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"His face fell, and Sophie noticed. She nudged Fitz in the ribs, who had his arm draped over her shoulders, and he smiled down at her. She made a pointed glance at Keefe sitting alone, and Fitz chuckled in understanding. /span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""He's not here yet, Keefe. Although, once we /spanem style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"go to sleep/emspan style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"" Fitz emphasized the phrase for his mother in the kitchen "you and Tam can have special sleeping arrangements on my floor."/span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Gee, thanks," Keefe mumbled dryly, and everyone laughed. /span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Just then, Linh pushed open the door and pulled Tam in behind her. /span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Sorry we're late, but /spanem style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"someone/emspan style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"" she glared at Tam "forced me to drag them here even though they already agreed to come." She rolled her eyes and plopped down on the couch beside Biana. /span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Tam hovered in the doorway, seemingly unsure of what to do./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Come sit down, we won't bite," Dex smiled and motioned for Tam to sit next to him. Reluctantly, Tam stepped over to the couch and carefully sat beside Dex. /span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"After settling in, Tam sent Keefe an uncomfortable look and immediately stared at the ground. Keefe became acutely aware of everyone watching him and Tam, trying to determine if they were going to interact. If Keefe was being honest, he was trying to answer that same question himself. He didn't want to make Tam even more uncomfortable than he already was, but he also wanted Tam with him. He decided to act on his impulses and discretely started tapping his foot on the floor. Tam's shadow started to stir, and slowly crept along the floorboards to Keefe's feet. /span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"em style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"What do we do?/emspan style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Tam shadow-whispered./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""No idea," Keefe murmured back. "Would you feel more comfortable with me or do you want to stay apart so we don't draw as much attention?"/span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"em style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"I think we can't get any more attention as it is. Look at them! They're all staring at us waiting for something to happen./em/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Keefe smirked. "Do you want something to happen?"/span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Tam seemed to get flustered, so Keefe took his chance to walk over and haul him up by the elbows. Once he was standing, he grabbed his wrist and pulled him back to the couch he was sitting at before. Keefe sat and dragged Tam down with him so they were sitting side by side. Keefe lazily draped his arm on the back of the couch behind Tam's head, who looked reasonably pink after their encounter./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Finally," Linh exclaimed./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""You could probably feel the tension from the other room," Fitz remarked. /span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Dinner's ready!" Della called from the kitchen./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Keefe groaned. He had just gotten Tam to relax with him. Fitz looked a little apologetic but was quickly distracted when Sophie pulled him to his feet./span/p  
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Sophie rallied everyone else from the couches, and we filed into the dining room for dinner./span/p 


End file.
